Elk Viewing at RMNP

What I know about elk behavior wouldn't make much of a blog entry. I know that they enjoy being approached by tourists less than most of the other locals. I know that the males compete violently for the females when it's time to mate. I know that they tend to travel in herds and property lines and roads don't really mean anything to them.

There's a really big elk herd in Rocky Mountain National Park that sometimes encroaches on the streets and lawns in Estes Park. We've seen then crossing the streets and took quite a few pictures one day when they closed down the local golf course to graze on the green grass. I have a copy of an Estes Park newspaper that has a big color photo of a tourist being chased by a BIG bull elk on the front page.

But I've never seen anything like the scene that we watched last weekend in RMNP. There were hundreds of female elk grazing in a meadow, not a single bull to be seen. At least one of them was trumpeting, an erie sound to hear as the snow was falling and the sun was going down. I'm told that only the bulls trumpet, but I couldn't see one around. Then we watched as hundreds more came roaming up from further down the valley. There was a line of them that stretched for at least a half mile...and more coming after that. We watched for 15 or 20 minutes...it was awesome.

Then we drove on in a loop back to Estes Park. About 6 miles down the road, we rounded the corner and saw a huge bull elk standing no more than 12 feet from the roadway. He was grazing in a hollow and was close enough that we could take flash pictures of him. As we continued on, we saw 20 or 30 bulls all together in the meadows around Sheep Lake. It was too dark to get pictures of them, but it was another really cool thing to see. Every one of them had a rack of antlers as big as our Honda.

To say that elk are "majestic" doesn't really seem to do justice to these magnificent animals.

If you go to Estes Park or RMNP, make the driving loop at dusk and witness this for yourself. But don't approach the elk...they REALLY don't like it.

Have fun!

Scenic Byway: Peak to Peak Highway

"Scenic" is a relative term in Colorado. The state boasts a wide variety of ecological environments, ranging from desert to tundra and virtually everything in between. Drive west out of Denver and the Rocky Mountains and foothills offer an everchanging panarama of interesting natural sights (and a few man-made oddities too).
The Peak to Peak Highway starts in the quasi-quaint gambling town of Black Hawk on CO-119 and tracks through the foothills to Estes Park. Unlike some of the Colorado Byways, this road is continuously paved and maintained throughout the year. The 55-mile stretch takes you through several small mountain communities, past Golden Gate Canyon State Park and through Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. The drive affords nice views of the Contenental Divide (on a clear day) but it was snowing the day we drove up, which is nice in its own way. The road is well populated and dotted with a variety of lodging opportunities, gas stations and other services.

Snowy days in the mountains offer lots in the way of interesting sights. The most common sights, like barns and old farming implements, take on a sort of surreal beauty. There is also some beauty of the more natural elements, rocks and trees and frozen lakes, to be seen as well. As always, know your own driving limitations with regard to snow and icy conditions. There are some fairly steep grades and sharp twists in the road that can be problematic even when the road is being maintained in winter.

One of my favorite places to stop and snap a few pictures is the St Malo Retreat Center between Meeker Park and Allenspark. The chief point of interest here is the Chapel on the Rock, dedicated to St Catherine of Siena in 1936, which can be seen on the left side of the road as you head north. The architecture is elegant and simple and the dramatic height of its stone foundation on the east side is impressive. The looming presence of Mt Meeker in the background adds to the impact. The door is usually open during the day, but remember to respect those who have come to visit chapel for its primary function: to pray. For Catholics, this is a significant locale as the chapel was visited and blessed by Pope John Paul II in 1993.

The trailheads for Wild Basin, Long's Peak, Lily Lake and Twin Sisters Peak are all along the last stretch of the byway between Allenspark and Estes Park. These entry points to Rocky Mountain National Park have varying seasonal availability. Long's Peak is generally a technical climb between October and May. Other trails may only be open to snowshoers and crosscountry skiers. Check the RMNP website for information regarding trail closures.

Once you arrive in Estes Park (a great destination for touristy shopping excursions) you can return to Denver on a more direct route by taking US-36 back through Boulder. Between May and October (check the RMNP website for exact dates) you can continue on through the park on the Trail Ridge Road Byway and cross the Continental Divide on the nation's highest continuous paved road. It is closed in the winter.

Have fun!

Scenic Byway: Guanella Pass

Known for its autumn aspen viewing, the Guanella Pass Scenic Byway is also a great short trip to take in the winter months. We drove out of Denver on Sunday after lunch, it was naptime for our daughter and we thought we would take in some scenery while she slept.

The byway is a dirt road that connects the town of Grant (on US 285) with Georgetown (on I 70). The road is about 22 miles long and rises above the treeline into a rugged tundra pass at its midpoint. We ended up in Grant quite by chance and decided to drive the byway and see how difficult the road conditions were.

The road is pretty well populated for the first 8-10 miles and the road was fairly well maintained. Which is to say that it was well-packed snow that had been plowed recently. I had no problems in our CR-V, which has 4-wheel drive but is not a high-clearance vehicle by anyone's reckoning. I saw a guy in a Volvo sedan coming down to meet us, but I have no idea how high he got before turning back.

For my part, I drove until signs on both sides of the road announced that it was closed. I was about 10 miles from Grant and the road appeared to be maintained beyond that point for at least a few hundred feet. After that it curved around an hill and was lost to sight. Call me yellow if you like, but AAA won't sent a tow truck after you if you've driven past a warning sign.

Along the way, however, we did see some fantastic sights. It was snowing lightly and so visibility was somewhat diminished, but the views were still beautiful. The approach to the byway on US 285 is really nice. My wife an I have a running joke about how almost all of the highways in western Colorado are "scenic." The stretch of US 285 between Denver and Grant is no exception. It winds through the Platte River valley (the river runs alongside the road for most of the trip) with a great mix of canyon walls and level valley meadows all along the route. The hills are sprinkled with fir and pine trees and the meadows are trimmed with aspens and other desiduous trees that I could not readily identify. Add to this a fine blanket of snow and you have a setting worthy of a Courier and Ives print.

Coming into Grant (blink and you'll miss it) the byway is a right hand turn marked by the columbine emblem of the Colorado State Byways. The road winds through a narrow canyon for some way before opening up to allow for the occasional home or campground. The byway cuts through the Pike National Forest. There is a frozen creek that runs alongside the road for most of its climb to the pass.

Not 3 miles from the highway, we spotted a small group of bighorn sheep perched on the rocks above the road. They stood there and looked at us for about 10 minutes, not more than 30 feet from our car. Magnificent creatures. Of course, that's the point at which I realized that I had left my camera at home.

We plan to try the drive from the Georgetown end of the road in a week or two and see how much of the road we can cover from there.

You can check out the website for this byway by clicking here. They have pictures of spring and summer along the road.

There are places to stop for gas and snacks all along US 285 (including a coney island restaurant shaped like a giant hot dog) but not much in the way of public facilities open in winter on the byway itself. The winter trip is family friendly, providing your kids are old enough to be entertained looking for wildlife (or young enough to sleep through the whole thing) and your family vehicle has 4-wheel drive. Check the weather before you go and know your own driving limitations.

Seasonal Adventure Disorder

January was pretty dry in the blogging department. There were a couple of reasons, but the main thing is that we've been keeping our daughter out of the cold. There have been several good, sunny 40 degree afternoons that would have been great for hiking but since our primary interests run in the mountain trails, we've been taking a little sabbatical.

We took a hike up at Mt Falcon Open Space in early January that was almost a total disaster. We were dressed warmly enough, but were hiking without snowshoes. We got stuck in snow drifts that were literally waist deep and had to climb rather unceremoniously out. My pants were completely soaked and then it started to snow. My wife faired a little better than I did since she weighs less and was not carrying the extra 45 pound toddler. By the time we got back on track and struck the main trail, it was completely obscured by fresh snowfall. If we had not been pretty familiar with the park, we would have been totally lost.

Snowshoeing is on our list of things to try next winter. Until then, we are sticking to the low elevation trails that we're familiar with and driving trips. When the spring comes, we'll jump back in with both feet.

Christmas Day at Aspen Lodge in Estes Park

Since our family all live in another state, we decided to go out for lunch on Christmas Day. This is more difficult to execute than you might think.

First, there's the issue of location. We live in Lakewood, CO (on the south side of metro-Denver) which is pretty picturesque but very suburban. We hoped to find something a little more off the beaten path. This describes about 95 percent of the state of Colorado, but how do you find these scenic locales?

Google, right? Nothing. (I'm generally pretty good and getting information this way, I was completely unprepared for the dismal search results.)

Word of mouth? None of our friends, acquaintances or co-workers had any ideas.

Tourist information. There's no way around this one. We generally try to at least act like we know what's going on but we were desperate. So we went to the Tourist Info booth at the Colorado Mills Mall. While they didn't have any specific information, they did recommend a couple of towns and suggested that we contact the visitors' bureau of each town. Estes Park was one of the towns.

We love Estes Park. I wish that I could explain that but I can't. It's quiet and touristy and nestled right up next to Rocky Mountain National Park. It's one of the first places in CO we visited on vacation and THE first place that Della ever saw snow. That's probably where the love affair began. You'll probably hear a lot about Estes Park from me in the future.

So, we called the Visitors' Bureau and they had a list. For family-friendliness, the VB recommended the Christmas Day buffet at the Aspen Lodge. The relaxed atmosphere was great and the food was terrific. No stiff formality here, just genuine, friendly waitstaff and cozy surroundings. The dining lodge itself is a little dated, but the views of the snow falling on the grounds of the resort were more than enough to get us in the Christmas spirit. One of the dining rooms had a beautiful fireplace and Christmas tree. The entire restaurant was decorated for the holidays with fresh pine garland and candles.

Call me cynical, but I wasn't expecting much from the buffet. My hope was that it would be warm and a step up from Luby's. I was pleasantly surprised. There was an unremarkable relish tray, but everything after that was great. Smoked trout with cream cheese and blueberries, green beans with mushrooms and fried onions (a wonderful improvement on the green bean casserole that has been a staple at our family gatherings as long a I can remember), butternut squash, traditional dressing, garlic mashed potatoes and portabello ravioli all complement the carved main courses: roast turkey, prime rib and ham. It was all delicious and the turkey was juicy (not an easy feat for a buffet).

The dessert offerings were good as well. There was a warm bread pudding with white chocolate (I enjoyed the flavor, but the texture of bread pudding is always a little gross to me. I'm a real texture-freak though. My wife says it's great for those of you out there that like that sort of thing.) I was much more appreciative of the bourbon pecan pie, apple pie and pumpkin pie. Our daughter devoured a blueberry scone.

At less than $20 per adult, this was also one of the less pricey Christmas Day offerings that we found anywhere. There was complementary champagne. The atmosphere was casual and comfortable, fitting to the lodge setting.

If you're looking for a complete package, including lodging, The Aspen Lodge has guest rooms and cabins in a terrific mountain setting with views of Mt Meeker, Long's Peak and the Twin Sisters in RMNP. Check out their website for more information and special events.

Enjoy!

Gear Shopping

After my little scare in the snow and continuing dissatisfaction with my backpack carrier, we decided it was time to investigate and invest in some winter gear. I thought that this would be an easy education followed by a routine trip to buy shoes. Boy, was I in for it.

I'll start with shoes because they are actually the simplest thing we went shopping for. You see, winter hiking shoes (snow boots) are everywhere. You can buy them at Target. In fact, I did buy a pair at Target when we lived in Michigan. The best thing I can say about that pair of shoes is that they were warm. All other aspects of comfort were lost if I wore them longer than the time it took to brush the snow off of my car. The ready availability of winter boots is probably the biggest stumbling block when you're looking for good ones.

I was able to narrow the field a bit because I have a specific purpose in mind: dayhiking. I need boots that are (1) waterproof, (2) warm and (3) comfortable for long walks. For me, comfort is connected with fit, ergonomics and flexibility. I have pretty easy feet to fit (no extra width or height to my arches or anything else unusual) so I thought that comfort would be the simplest part of the equation. Wrong again.

I spent some time online reading shoe ratings. This is often helpful, especially when the person rating the product leaves a good narrative. My wife was able to select a pair of boots based on the recurring complaint that the specific boots were "too flexible" and lacked any ankle support. This was exactly what she was looking for (even for hiking). Her ankles are amazingly rigid and the only injury she's ever had to them was from falling off a pair of platform sandals about 8 years ago. Interestingly, fewer men post reviews to the shoes they buy. So I could see early on that I was on my own.

We went to 2 national retail sporting goods stores on Saturday. Never mind which ones because I don't really have anything nice to say about them. The first had a VERY limited selection of snow boots (fewer than 3 styles and only one brand) and the second offered very little technical expertise on the products that they did have. Della found the boots that she liked (and ended up buying) but no one was there to give any helpful advise. Overall, the day shopping left us both discouraged about the random nature of the buying decision.

We went back to the Internet on Saturday night and looked for reviews of the specific brands and styles that we had tried on. Della was pretty sure of what she wanted, but we wanted to check out one more store. I asked her if she'd be embarrassed if I just wrapped plastic shopping bags around my feet.

We went to REI on Sunday. We went straight to shoes without browsing because it was the weekend before Christmas and the crowds were outrageous. They keep the bulk of their shoes stocked in the back room, so there were 3 sales associates on the floor helping customers. In spite of being busy, all of them were taking the time to assist customers in their selections. Consultative sales is a challenge, my wife and I have both done it, but these guys made it look like fun. They seemed genuinely interested in helping us make a good decision and offering the advice of people who don't just know their products, but use them as well. They have a little hill to climb in the store and hiking socks to try shoes on with. I have never shopped for shoes like that. They had the boots that Della wanted and I found a pair that are perfect.

Since that worked out so well, we went in search of some new thermals for Della. The associate in that department was also knowledgeable about the products (though less inclined to make a recommendation). We also bought socks, which would also have been overwhelming had we not already done some online investigating...Who knew there were SO many options? In the end, all three of us got new SmartWool socks. One lady that reviewed the SmartWool on the REI website says that if they get wet, you can wring them out and put them back on.

The shopping was also aided by the presence of a kid-sized table and chairs in the shoe department with crayons and paper. Elle was also excited to climb up and down the shoe test-structure and as long as one of us was with her, the sales associates were ok with that too.

REI also has a great loyalty program which we also purchased. Benefits of the program include no-questions-asked returns, access to special sales events and quarterly rebate cash. It is a lifetime membership with a one-time fee of $15.

REI has consumer reviewed products for sale at www.rei.com and closeouts at www.reioutlet.com. Both sites also have detailed product descriptions and photos.

This weekend, we purchased:
Scrambler winter boots by Salomon(r) for Tim ($110)
...waterproof, antimicrobial and rated to -25 degrees F
...true fit and very comfortable, top offers support without impeding mobility

Nuptse Fur winter boots by The North Face(tm) for Della ($99)
...waterproof, antimicrobial and rated to -40 degrees F
...hiking tread but Della says it's "like wearing socks"
...very stylish look

SmartWool(r) socks for Tim (med cushion...$14), Della (women's med cushion...$15) and Eliana (2 pairs Baby Woolly...$18)

REI women's thermal underwear bottom for Della ($30)
...Della has a mild sensitivity to wool, so silk is a 2nd best natural fiber option
...She likes the fit a lot...haven't had a chance to try out the warmth

NOTE: This is not a commercial site in the truest sense and (except for products at Amazon.com) I receive no compensation for products that I recommend. This is a review based upon my personal experience with the stores, websites or brands listed. While we try to comparison shop and make purchases based upon reasonable criteria, we are a family and as such unable to field test multiple products. Recommendations are NOT paid endorsements.

There's a Name for What We Do!

Since our first trips to Colorado back in the late 90's, my wife and I have enjoyed hiking and rock scrambling. We can spend hours on a trail and somehow feel more rested at the end than at the trailhead. Della especially loves to take the road less traveled and her mantra is, "If you want to see a thing that few people see, you have to go places where few people go." On the other hand, the idea of living out of a backpack for days on end is not all that appealing. My brother is a big-time backpacker, but he takes most of his trips sans wife and daughter; and I would rather take my adventures with mine.

But there is apparently a term for our preferred level of outdoor activity: slackpacking. If you fall into the abyss with us, check out www.slackpacker.com. There's some good information, a lexicon of trail terminology and a healthy dose of dry humor. There are also links to hiking trails indexed by state. Check it out.

Have fun!

Winter Hiking at South Valley Park

You'd think that after 5 consecutive winters in Michigan, we'd be over the fascination with the snow. But that was Detroit and this is Denver...so the love affair goes on.
There are two major differences: First, SE Michigan (while lovely in spring, summer and fall) just gets buried in snow all winter. For five years, it snowed on or before Christmas and we didn't see the grass again until April. In Denver, it snowed 8" yesterday and it's already starting to melt today under the warm sun. What casual outdoorsperson wants to take a hike when it's overcast and 15 degrees F? Today in Denver, it's sunny and will probably hit 50 degrees this afternoon. The second difference is that I don't know of anywhere in southern MI that has a broken granite mountain or red sandstone formations.

So, Eliana and I revisited the South Valley Open Space today in the snow. Gorgeous! I thought that the wide, well-graded trails would be our best bet for hiking in the snow and that turned out to be a good call. We followed behind a group of moms out on snowshoes with their toddlers in backpacks. I let them blaze the trail and came up behind them on the well-packed snow. I picked their brains about snowshoeing and decided that I've got to try it. While it's more demanding that hiking a dry trail, it is considerably easier than hiking a trail (even a well-packed trail) in the snow by all accounts.

Of course, I only followed the moms as far as the Lyon's Back Trail where I took off to the left and blazed my own trail. I thought that would help save my ego until a 70-year-old, snowshoeing grandma overtook me and politely asked to pass. I climbed the trail up to the northern boundary of the park, where it connects to Columbine Trail in the Ken-Caryl Foundation Open Space. Lyon's Back is not difficult, but it does climb about 100 feet over less than a quarter mile. The views of the valley are very nice and where the trail climbs steeply, Jefferson County has built steps for us. The descent was the most treacherous part of the hike and it was here that I slipped and all of my amateur mistakes were laid bare.

First of all, I was not properly outfitted for a serious hike in the snow. I was wearing my regular hiking boots and blue jeans. Eliana was wearing snow boots, but she had kicked one off and I was holding it in my hand. She was also wearing jeans. When I fell, I sat down on the step behind me. The fall didn't hurt at all since I landed in 8" of unpacked snow, BUT the snow was a problem of its own. My jeans (which were already wet almost to my knees) were now soaked through all the way up to my waist. Elle's bare sock was like a snow-magnet and was soaked through before I could brush it off. And her loose boot was filled with melting snow too.

I'm an amateur, but not stupid, so we went directly back to the trailhead and our car to avoid any hypothermia issues.

Look for a future post on the necessary gear for snow hiking...

Trail Difficulty:
Lyon's Back Trail: .4 (easy) from the crossing with Coyote Song Trail

Have fun and pack dry socks!

What on Earth is a Hogback?

I'm glad you asked. The first time that I encountered the expression, I was being instructed by a local on the finer points of the foothills landscape. I was baffled but didn't want to give that away, so I just smiled and nodded and went away wondering what she was talking about.

As I am typing this, I can see the Hogback out of my living room window. (Living here really rocks!) When you are looking at it from the flatlands east of the mountains, the name isn't doesn't seem as self-evident. It just looks like a jumble of low hills in front of the mountains. In fact, from where I live in Littleton, the Hogback is virtually all of the mountains that you can see.

Simply put, the Hogback is a ridge (series of ridges actually) that forms a line on the eastern borders of the Rocky Mountains. The satellite image (thank you, Google) on the left, shows a clear demarcation between the green of the plains and the bare granite in the mountains.

I've tried to sort-out the natural history of the area so that I can share a bit of geological wisdom, but it's pretty much all Greek to me. I was embarrassed at how lost I was reading one article that promised to explain the process in "simple language." The main thing that you'll want to know is that the geological upheaval responsible for lifting the Rockies caused a break in the rock strata along the leading edge on the mountains to be tilted at a peculiar angle. This can be seen dramatically in the red sandstone outcroppings in places like Red Rocks Park in Metro Denver and Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. Glaciers and other forces of erosion carved out canyons and broke the single ridge into pieces. Much of the geography of central Colorado, including the locations of cities and roads, is dictated by the natural breaks in the Hogback.

It looks a lot more like "hogback" (or better yet "hogs' backs") from above. The picture below was taken from a trail at Mt Falcon Park.
There are numerous hiking opportunities in and near the Hogback. Trails on the eastern side afford sweeping views of the Great Plains. Trails on the western side look up into the Rocky Mountains. All along the Hogback are geologically interesting canyons, valleys and rock outcroppings. To find hiking trails rated on this blog, click on the Hogback label below or on the right.

Have fun!

Potty Training On The Trail

When we started potty training Eliana, we knew that we wanted to stay active. We had a parade of potty training gear before we stumbled onto this little gem.

The On the Go Potty is manufactured by The Kalencom Corp in New Orleans. It has been the most useful piece of gear connected with the potty training experience. It's especially helpful on the trail because the liners can be tied shut and easily packed-out.

The potty is very basic: a molded plastic seat with two folding legs. The liners are basic plastic bags with looped handles and an absorbent pad. You can see in the picture (from the Kalencom website...poor kid...I guess some parents are a little too zealous to jump start a modeling career for their kids) that there's not much to it. It folds flat, is very lightweight and packs easily in backpack or camera bag.

We used this extensively when Eliana was potty training: at the mall, on roadtrips and on the trail. It's given us freedom to explore longer trails and stray farther from the facilities.

The potty costs about $10 and a package of 10 liners is $5. They are available at Babies 'R Us or purchase directly from the manufacturer by clicking here.